


Jacqueline plays 10, 20, 30, 40.

by LittleBluejay_SingingSongs



Series: The Banker [3]
Category: Ianto and the Banker
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23935939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBluejay_SingingSongs/pseuds/LittleBluejay_SingingSongs
Summary: Banker and Ianto vie for Jacqueline’s affection. They play a game. Nathan enjoys Marie’s company. Frank opts out, then finds that Sally decided to attend. Anna, Clare, Kurt, and Sean also attend.
Relationships: Banker/Ianto
Series: The Banker [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1455379





	Jacqueline plays 10, 20, 30, 40.

Jacqueline had a warm, fuzzy, contented glow about her as they left the Indian restaurant. For a moment she watched the streetlights and shop windows go by. “Thank you for the birthday party.”

”You’re welcome, Jacqueline.”

Banker did something she’d never seen him do before. He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. Her palm was tingling at the touch of his fingers. She flushed. What was the correct response? Thank you? Kiss his hand? No, way. The thought of kissing Banker on the mouth, had her even hotter. She looked at him carefully. He was smiling, but not. He looked very happy. Flustered she imitated his grin back. 

Meanwhile in the front seat, Frank, Clare, and Ianto gave no reaction to the conversation in the back seat.

Jacqueline noticed their route was not back to Ianto’s apartment. She glanced at Banker again.

”My place.”

She didn’t say anything in reply, opting to wait and see. Maybe they were dropping him off before they returned to Ianto’s? 

Ianto helped Clare out, then held her door open. She got out and waited. When Ianto took her arm, she relaxed. He and Clare were both going. 

Banker asked Frank to join them. He declined. Frank parked the car. As he pulled in he saw Sally’d already entered the building. He sighed. He couldn’t bring himself to go up and join them.

Nathan, Marie and Anna were spread out around the living room. It was Jacqueline’s first time here. She was clearly in awe of the furniture and decorations. She noticed a cake on a large long side table. Ianto stayed next to Jacqueline as she drifted over to the table, looking at the pictures. He noticed Banker leaving the room. “Jacqueline, Chef made this for you.”

”It’s lovely.”

He watched her closely and decided she didn’t want a slice just yet. 

“Happy Birthday.”

She tore her eyes from the cake. ”Thank you, Ianto.” What exactly did his expression mean? She thought about this moment many times over the next days and months.

”It’s a little early for dessert.” 

Are we talking about cake? ”It is.”

”There are many other pastimes we might engage in.” Ianto briefly thought of the forest room upstairs.

She gulped. ”What are you thinking?”

“Well.” He gave her a smile and she noticed his dimple for the first time. “What most people do is drink or get high. We’d miss the morning trip.” Clare, Anna and Marie giggled, knowing that was never going to happen. 

Jacqueline wondered if this was a sleep over.

Banker returned with a large box. “Do you want to play a game?” Sally returned from using the bathroom.

Jacqueline turned to him in some relief. Then, replied slowly, wondering if she did. “Sure.”

Banker set the box down and opened it. “It is your birthday. Happy Birthday.”

”Thank you.” Everyone wished her a happy birthday and she thanked them each individually.

“So, you choose the game.”

”Thank you.”

Banker removed two standard decks, a deck for hearts, and a pinochle set, then a cribbage board and a set of dominoes. Next came several small boxes. She opened one. Inside was a set of four darts. ”We don’t have a dart board.”

Ianto looked around at the walls. Banker had no den or game room except the forest upstairs.

Banker opened another box. “Have you seen this game before?”

She shook her head slightly.

”Don’t worry. This is an easy game.”

Inside was a rather large cloth bag decorated in the same pattern as it’s box. The open edge was thickly padded. Unrolling a piece of leather, he laid it on the table. He stopped and looked around the room. “Also, this game allows any number of people to play.” Ianto, Nathan, Sean and Kurt all knew what was coming. Marie also knew, but didn’t admit it. Sally, Clare, and Anna were as clueless as Jacqueline.

Curious Jacqueline looked at the bag’s markings. “This is lovely.” Banker set out eight paper bags. Each was filled with tiles a different color of the rainbow. She held the bag open for him to dump the Scrabble sized tiles inside. Ianto watched them working together. Marie watched Ianto.

“The field is divided into four colors.” He held it up by one edge. “Yellow, blue, green, and red. Each color has four squares each with a number. Ten, twenty, thirty and forty. There are sixteen squares. On your turn, take out a tile place it onto it’s spot. Simple. If you pull out anything that doesn’t fit on the board, toss it back in the box or keep it in a pile in front of you.

Anna joined Banker. “How does one win?”

With a sly glance towards Ianto and then the rest, Banker answered. “The Group. Wins or loses.” 

“Eventually all the tiles will be picked out..” 

The men smiled. “We have a timer.” Banker with a flourish held up a simple kitchen type timer. “We have ten minutes.” He set it. It started ticking. It’s noise caused the men to quickly move over to the table.

Sean yelped, “Okay. Here we go.”

Nathan stood next to Maria and suggested, “Shall we alternate girl, boy, girl, boy.” Ianto and Banker stayed where they were, on either side of Jacqueline. Kurt picked up the bag. He dug in and stirred up the tiles. He pulled out a purple tile and handed the bag to Clare.   
  
“Oh, no. There is no purple.” Anna said, as Kurt flipped it into the bottom of the box.

Jacqueline joined with an, ”Aw.”

Clare pulled out a white tile. “Rats.”

And so it went. It seemed like half the time a tile was pulled of the four colors not on the board. Finally Ianto pulled a Red tile. “Sorry. It says fifty.” Everyone groaned. He dropped it into the lid of the box. Multi colored piles of tiles slowly grew in front of each person and were dumped into the box. They passed the bag faster. Each person was ready to take the bag as the person ahead of them was taking out their tile.

Banker called out, “Five minutes.”

Jacqueline pulled a green tile with the number 200. “Can the tiles be used to play a different game?”  
  
Ianto answered her with a smile. “Yes. However, we usually play this game.” 

Clare and Sally laughed. “Take your turn, Ianto.”

He pulled a yellow 40, to cheering from the group. He handed it to Jacqueline. “Would you mind placing it on it’s spot?”

”Okay, Ianto.”

”Thank you. You are closer.” Marie watched them. 

Eleven tiles had been placed when Banker upped the anxiety. “Two minutes.”

Kurt and Sean started laughing.

Sally laughed. ”Oh, no. We’re not going to make it.” More laughter. Faster they passed the bag. Dropping their tiles on their piles caused some to slid off onto the floor. Which were ignored.

Banker offered drinks. Everyone groaned, knowing he was distracting them on purpose. As the timer ran down the tension caused them to laugh.

They were short one tile when the timer went off. “Aw.” They all groaned.

”We almost made it.” 

“Shall we play again?”

”Drinks first. Then we go again.”

Two games later they won handily and took a break to eat Jacqueline’s Birthday Cake.


End file.
